Kisla Rami

Period 4
AP Literature
11.27.10

Faulkner/Hemmingway Essay

The hills across the valley of the Ebro were extended and desolate, taking on the appearance of

an abandoned land having had passed its value a while ago. White hills, with no trees around

them nor shade, surrounded the station where a man and a girl rested as they waited for the train

to Barcelona that would be arriving shortly to carry them along on their journey of discovery.

These hills reminded the girl of how she felt inside: empty, alone, and abandoned.

Too many thoughts were rushing through the young girl’s mind as she struggled to think of what

would be an appropriate topic to discuss in this particularly difficult situation that she had put

herself in. No longer depending on her family, she had to fend for herself and allow this man she

loved to take care of her and help her with whatever it was she needed. But she knew that it

wasn’t going to be that easy.

He was constantly controlling her and never allowing her to think for herself; only what he

wanted mattered in the situation. If they were drinking beer, he would pick out what kind; if

they were going on a vacation, he would pick out where, and so on. This is what her life was and

had been since she was a little girl. If it wasn’t her parents constantly advising her and doing

what they thought was best for her, it was him.

When she found out she was pregnant, she didn’t know what to feel. Should she have been

ecstatic or scared or excited? She just didn’t know. But what she predicted was that he would
feel the same way, which wasn’t exactly the case. When she told him, she could see that he was

visibly upset.

“How do I travel the world and pay attention to my baby at the same time?” he asked her with no

emotional expression apparent on his face whatsoever.

“We can find a way to make it work” she replied, hoping he would be able to see where she was

coming from.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we could have it a little later?” he asked her again with the same

emotionless tone.

From that conversation, she knew there would be no way for her to have the baby and raise it

herself. She knew she didn’t have enough money to support a family on her own and raising a

child alone would be impossible. Although she was heartbroken by his decision, she more or so

understood where he was coming from. She knew that she herself wanted to travel the world

without being tied down or inhibited because of responsibilities. But even considering that, she

didn’t want to have to regret the big decision she was about to make, that would alter the rest of

her life.

Dealing with her ultimate decision was too heavy of a burden for her to carry. If she had felt

empty before, she was completely destroyed now. She allowed people around her to constantly

make decisions for her which killed her inside. She knew she wanted to have a say in her life but

she just didn’t know where to find her voice. How could she find a way to get over the pain of

coming into realization that she had let something she had wanted so desperately go?